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Iran’s foreign ministry bans work on disputed gas field

Iran’s foreign ministry has banned the Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC) from any activity at the disputed Arash gas field, Hamid Bovard, managing director of the IOOC, said.

He made the remarks while explaining the reason behind halting the IOOC activities in the joint field with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Mehr news agency reported May 8.

Arash gas field is positioned on Iran-Kuwait’s water border and it is known as Dorra on the Kuwaiti side.

There is also a dispute between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait over Dorra. In 2013, the two countries shelved a project to jointly develop the field amid disagreement on how to share the produced gas.

In 2012, Iran pledged to begin unilateral work on the field after Kuwait did not respond to its joint development offer.

The field’s gas reserve is estimated at one trillion cubic feet along with some 310 million barrels of oil.

The problem regarding the field is disputes over the geographical borders which should be settled, Bovard said, adding that currently the Iranian foreign ministry has prohibited any activity by Iranian side in this field.

The Iranian Offshore Oil Company is a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company, operating in southern Iran. Its activities cover important areas of the Persian Gulf and its main operations are in Bushehr Province and on Kharg Island, Sirri Island and Lavan Island.